The Ones Left Behind
by Luna-Jayne
Summary: Told from Shannon's POV. Set 6 months after 'The Discovery' My very first story!


_**The Ones Left Behind**_

_**Shannon POV**_

Its been 6 months, but it still feels like yesterday.

Everyday I expect to see her walk through the classroom door, her bag slung over her shoulder and a warm smile on her face. I still get an urge to call her number when I scroll past it on my phone hoping that maybe she'd answer it, I know she wouldn't but the hope is still there.

It is getting easier, with each day that passes it's getting just a little easier to carry on without her. It gives me a certain sense of comfort to know that she's out there somewhere, safe and with her parents. I understand the reason she left, I know it was the only thing they could have done given the situation, but that doesn't mean I miss her any less. We've been friends for so long and its so hard to think that I can't see her everyday, I can't even ring her.

The first few days after they left were awful, any little reminder of Maddy would just cause me to burst into tears. I had to hide all her pictures, put away anything that she had ever given me, just so they wouldn't remind me of what I'd lost. School was a little better, at least there were things there to keep my mind occupied, at least until lunch time, when the empty chair at out table would bring everything flooding back to me. Seeing Liam was also difficult. For a long time I really had to fight the urge not to run up to him and scream at him, tell him it was all his fault. If it wasn't for him and his Werewolf hunting ancestor, none of this would have happened, he wouldn't of suspected Maddy being a Wolfblood, he wouldn't of gone in search of evidence and Dr Whitewood would never of found out. If it wasn't for him, Maddy and her Parents would still be here.

Maddy had been right when she said that Dr Whitewood would come for us next, she has been in contact with all of us since Maddy left, asking where she'd gone, whether we'd seen her and if we knew anything about 'The Wolves'. Obviously we all said what we had promised Maddy and told her that we believed that they had kept tame Timber Wolves as pets, she seemed to take that for the truth but I don't think she really believed it. That was a couple of months ago, we haven't heard anything from her since, not that I believe for a second that she has given up.

It's not just been hard on me, Tom was pretty depressed during the following weeks as well. His grades started to slip and his attention span was almost non existant. I did offer to help him with his homework and revision but he refused saying that he could handle it himself. His dyslexia can make things like that a little difficult and I know that Maddy was always on hand to help him, but ever since she left, Tom has not wanted help from anyone.

We still spend a lot of time together outside of school, movie nights are still a regular occurence though they are not the same without Maddy. Everything we do now just feels incomplete, there is someone missing and it just doesn't feel right to be doing things without her. I know that she wouldn't want us to feel like this, she wouldn't want us moping around, but it's very hard not to when you best friend has just disappeared into the wilderness.

All our sadness and angst at Maddy's departure is nothing compared to what Rhydian is feeling. I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel for him to lose Maddy like that, they had finally gotten their acts together and were all set to go on their very first date when everything began. I know for a fact he loved her, I heard him say it up on the moors, but even before that you had to be blind to not notice how much Maddy meant to him. They were both crazy about each other, but as with all great romances the only way to get them to admit it to each other was to tear them apart.

We didn't see Rhydian for the first few days. After we came down from the moors he left for home, he didn't say much but the look on his face almost killed me. He looked lost, the light in his eyes had completely vanished, and he reminded me of the person he was when he first came to Stoneybridge. It just showed how much Maddy and changed him and now she was gone, he just seemed to give up.

He missed a couple of days of school so Tom and I decided to pay him a visit just to make sure he was alright. Our attempts at contacting him any other way had been futile, I'd lost count the amount of text messages and voice mails I'd left on his phone. I was beginning to worry that maybe this would break him, that maybe Maddy's departure would just be too much for him to take.

_**3 Days After**_

It was Mrs Vaughn who answered the door and I could tell from her face that she was worried. She smiled weakly at us, we didn't know how much she knew about what had happened, that's if she knew anything at all.

'Hi Mrs Vaughan, we ah, we just came by to see Rhydian' I said looking briefly over to Tom before looking back at Mrs Vaughan.

'We just wanted to make sure he was ok, since he hasn't been at school' Tom added.

'That's very nice of you, but I'm afraid I haven't been able to get much out of him. I'm not really sure whats wrong'

I smiled sadly.

'Has he told you anything?' I asked.

'Not really, he told me Maddy and her family had to leave but that's it, he hasn't told me why'

'Can we see him?' Tom said.

'Uh, you can try but I'm not sure how he'll be' Mrs Vaughan replied standing aside to let us into the hall.

We walked past her and towards the stairs but a hand on my arm stopped me before I could reach them.

'Can I ask you something?' Mrs Vaughan said as I looked up at her in question.

I nodded.

'Rhydian and Maddy, were they...' she trailed off sounding unsure.

I knew what she was trying to get at, so I picked up where she left off.

'They love each other Mrs Vaughan, that's why Rhydian is like this, he's just lost the person he loves most in the world'

Mrs Vaughan nodded slowly and let her hand drop from my arm.

'Will she be coming back?'

That is the question I ask myself almost everyday, but the answer is always one that I don't ever want to hear.

'I don't know'

The door to Rhydian's bedroom was closed, so with an anxious look between us, I reached forward and knocked gently on the door.

'Rhydian, its Tom and Shannon, we've come to see if your ok' I call softly through the door, giving Tom a sympathetic glance out of the corner of my eye.

Silence rang out for a few seconds, before a muffled voice was heard.

'Go away'

I sighed sadly, but not being one to give up so easily I spoke again.

'We're worried about you Rhydian, we just wasnt to make sure your alright'

'I'm fine, now go away'

I knew that Maddy's departure had hit him the hardest and I knew that it wasn't something that could be helped with a little pep talk, but locking himself away in his room and blocking out the rest of the world was not going to make anything any better. So with a rather frustrated sigh I grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open.

'No' I said sternly as I entered the room.

Rhydian didn't look up from his place on the bed. He was lying on his side facing away from us, the curtains at his window were still drawn but some sunlight managed to filter through a tiny gap and a thin ray of light ran straight across the bed.

Tom followed me in, a little unsure, and came to a stop just a little way behind me.

'Rhydian, you can't lock yourself away forever you know' I said folding my arms across my chest and glaring at him.

'Why not?' he answered.

'Well for starters it's not going to change anything, what are you going to do? Hide up here until she comes back?'

I know my voice was harsh and I could tell that by the look on Tom's face as he winced at every word I said, but I knew that being all lovey dovey and soft would not do any good at all.

Rhydian didn't reply and I looked back at Tom for inspiration. None came, he just shrugged and looked down at the floor, hands stuffed in his pockets.

I sighed and slowly approached the bed. Rhydian didn't make a move to stop me, so I carefully perched on the edge and looked over at his back.

'Maddy wouldn't want you to do this Rhydian' I say a little more gently this time.

At the mention of her name he stiffened ever so slightly and I could just about hear a catch in his breathing. I didn't know if mentioning Maddy was a good idea but if I was going to get any response out of him I had to try.

Tom and I waited in silence for a few moments. I glanced up at Tom who was wearing a similar expression of worry to me before a rustle of bed covers bought my attention back to Rhydian, and I looked over to see that he was now lying on his back staring up at the ceiling.

His eyes were red and puffy, tear stains running down his cheeks. I could see in the murky light of his room that a fresh lone tear had escaped out of the corner of his eye and was making its way slowly down the side of his face and onto the pillow beneath his head.

'I miss her' he said simply not really acknowledging either of us.

I smiled softly.

'I know, we all do, but Rhydian, but she will come back' I spotted his hand and slowly reached over to place mine over his. Again he stiffened at the contact but I kept hold.

Tom had still said nothing and he seemed to be looking everywhere except at Rhydian. I knew that their relationship had had its difficulties, especially at the beginning, but they had developed a pretty good friendship over the last few months so I was really hoping that he would say something at some point.

'But in the meantime, you need to get out of this room, you need to come back to school'

Rhydian shook his head.

'I can't'

I frown at him.

'Why not?'

'Because I know Maddy won't be there and she should be. I don't know if I can do it without her' he said and finally after what felt like an eternity, his head turned to the side and he looked at me. His blue eyes full of tears and grief glanced at both of us and I couldn't help but smile.

'You can mate' Tom suddenly said 'We're both there, we won't just abandon you'

I saw Rhydian glance up at Tom.

'Shannon's right, Maddy wouldn't want you to lock yourself away. She loves you and she wants you to be happy, even if she can't be here to see it'

I looked up at Tom in surprise. I had never heard him talk that way before. He had really grown over the past few months, I never thought I would ever hear him say that to Rhydian. He had always been jealous about Maddy's closeness to Rhydian and it had really stood in the way of their friendship. But it seems his crush had almost disappeared, well not entirely I don't think it ever will, but I think he knows now that it always was and always will be Maddy and Rhydian.

I smile at him as he caught my eye before turning my gaze back to Rhydian.

'Toms right'

Rhydian just nods sadly before his expressions changes and he sighs loudly, turning his head back to face the ceiling once again.

'I can't believe that I let her go, I should have gone with her, I should of done something...'

'Rhydian listen' I say calmly interrupting him as I grip his hand a little tighter 'You did the right thing, you know that you couldn't have gone with her it would have made everything worse. There was nothing else you could of done, they had to leave it was the only way they were going to be safe. I know you love her, just be happy that you love her enough to let her go'

'I just can't...' tears are beginning to fall once again and it kills me to see the look on his face.

'She's coming back Rhydian, she loves you too much not to, just hold on to that'

It was a surprise the next day at school when Rhydian showed up. When we left him the day before he still had not said anything about returning, so it was a bit of a shock to see him walk into class the next morning.

Maddy's absence was pretty old news by the time Rhydian came back, but that didn't stop Jimi, Sam and Liam teasing him as he walked past their table and over to us. The confrontation that followed earned Rhydian his first detention. By the end of the day I think he'd accumulated 3, not that it bothered him, it was just something else that he had to endure, and it wasn't as if detentions were anything new.

Liam seemed to be Rhydian's main target. He blamed Liam for everything and it didn't help matters when Liam would constantly mock him. I've lost count the amount of times we've had to pull him off Liam and drag him away. Luckily the 'Wolf' hasn't shown itself, yet that it, although I know that its only just a matter of time.

It was after one of these near misses that I found out how Rhydian could control himself when the 'Wolf' was so close to the surface.

'Maddy' he had said simply 'I just think about her and it calms me, I don't know how, she just does'

So even when she's not here she still helps him.

Things between the two of them quietened down after a few weeks, well it was probably due to the fact they were both getting tired of the detentions, but as least they only a had a scrap a couple of times a week now.

Rhydian seems to be coming to terms with that fact that Maddy has gone, he's starting to return to normal but I know he won' t be completely himself until she comes back. He still has his bad days, but then so do all of us, we know that during those days we won't get much out of him so its better to just leave him be and let him come to us.

Its getting better, it's getting easier but every so often it hits home that she's not here. Little things like seeing her locker or finding some homework she'd left in the darkroom would bring everything back to us. She will come back, we all know that, but its the waiting that's the worst part.

I walk through the woods to get to school everyday just hoping that maybe I'll run into her, that maybe the Wild Pack is close by and that I'll just suddenly see her appearing out of the trees. I know that Rhydian does the same and I know that if anyone has a chance of finding her it would be him, but as yet nothing.

Its been 6 months and although its hard we're getting through it. We're still a pack, an unconventional pack, but a pack none the less and we support each other. We know she'll come back, we don't know when, but she will and that is what we're focusing on.

I remember Rhydian promising Maddy that he would find her when he was older, but I can't see him waiting that long. Even though he is coping better without her, I can tell that it won't last forever, something is going to snap inside of him and when it does he'll be gone. That day is getting closer and closer and despite the fact that he's getting better at controlling himself, the thought of being apart from Maddy for much longer is becoming too much to take.

Love is one of the most powerful forces on earth for a human, combine that with being a Wolfblood and you've got something extremely strong. I know that when the day comes, he's going to find Maddy and no amount of Police force or mad scientist is going to stop him.

And Tom and I will be right behind him.

**The End**


End file.
